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Gads. The things my mother never told me.

Harold, I know you said you used Garolite rod to make the insulators. I have to assume you have a drill press to make the insulators meet spec. Did you use 3/8" rod (.375) and drill out 23/64" (.359375) to leave a 1/64" (.01562") thickness? If so, amazing and beyond me, unless I bought the 4' length. Even then.

I could cut a tube, however, BUT I couldn't determine that any of the Garolite TUBES from McMaster-Carr would work. I'd need an OD of .4 or max .41". And an ID of at least .36" for a 3/8" mounting screw. None of the tube dimensions work for that. (That I could figure out.)

So, JayDub, I should have asked Feltz at Terrill to send some insulators and the washers, too, with the new pump. But I missed the boat. I'll call tomorrow. Maybe they can be sent US Mail in a padded envelope. It's that or a padded cell.

For back up, Max Merritt has a kit for $15. Suddenly the world seems simple again. Thanks, JW.

Here is the new mounting set up per JW. Some new fittings, too. Rebuilt fuel pump from the flackmaster and Terrill Machine.

I noticed that although my old cracked fuel pump had an air dome, it wasn't drilled through, so maybe that is optional. The rebuilt fuel pump port for the dome is drilled through to the air tunnel, so we'll put it on.

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The pulse dome was used by Packard thru the 22nd series, I believe it was dropped as unnecessary for the 24th series. Not at all unusual to see replacement pumps fitted with a plug or never even drilled and tapped for the dome and I believe there is a statement to that effect in later fuel pump catalogs.

FUEL PUMP: Son John came yesterday and installed the fuel pump, no simple task. In the process we learned that the fuel pump mounting holes have an interior retaining lip or collar so the insulators don't push out. In other words, the insulators can only be inserted from the engine side, not from the exterior. "We" just have to add the upper air line which had broken because of the loose air chamber. I made a new one using my flaring tool and tube bender, so proud. Also the heat shield has to be tightened up.

CLUTCH: I removed the flywheel cover and as you can see, everything is soaked in oil. We still have to figure the source. I'm cleaning up the underside of the car and washing the clutch/flywheel with brake cleaner today.

I bought a roll of 3'-wide wrapping paper at Home Depot to put under the car and pinpoint leaks. The broken fuel pump could have been a source as noted above. That filter canister and associated oil lines and fittings could be another (as they have before). Brake fluid (I lost a master cylinder full on the trip of DOT 5 slippery silicone could be a contributing factor, too.

QUESTION: There was no gasket on the flywheel cover and the oil is migrating through where the covers meet. It doesn't look right. Seems like there should be a gasket there, but maybe just sealant. I could not find a listing in Parts or at Olson or Max Merritt. I didn't try Kanter because it's Sunday and you have to call to INQUIRE.

With the cover off, I could make one.

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Losing effectiveness of the thick felt in the bellhousing pan?....still that'd be a lot of oil creep...

Thanks, David. Is this the felt? I saw this listed in Parts.

QUESTION: To spray the clutch, I have to prop the clutch foot pedal and stick the brake cleaner nozzle between the flywheel and clutch. But I'd like to rotate the flywheel to spray it more thoroughly.

Problem is, the distributor is out of the car. I know it has to go back and interface with the oil pump the same way it came out, or it won't run properly.

Before I pulled it, I took these photos. If I turn over the engine with the starter only, the oil pump is going to turn, right?

If, when I'm ready to put the distributor back in, I turn over the engine until the oil pump accepts the distributor in that same 5 o'clock position, will I be ok? Or could the oil pump be 180 degrees off?

Or should I spray what I can now, and wait til the distributor is back in the car before turning the engine over?

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QUESTION: Has anyone used Blue Devil Rear Main Seal Stop Leak? Or their Oil Stop Leak?

There was never a gasket of any sort on the bell housing cover since there should never be any oil in it. If it ever got full enough to need a gasket, you would have far more serious issues than some drips! There is only the felt at the lip that you showed.

Thanks, Don.

The last time I did this waspackardinfo.com/xoops/html/modules/newbb ... at&order=ASC&type=&mode=0&start=414

The next post, 415, has a video. You can hear me breathing because the first time I didn't use an industrial mask or have the garage doors open. Big mistake.

But I want to get everything clean before I start sleuthing with my paper. And of course the clutch will slip as it did during the last part of my journey home, so it must be cleaned first.

As I recall the rear main and the transmission input shaft and nose are the only direct places oil could be coming from to get inside the bellhousing. If the leather cover over the clutch fork is missing or damaged something could get blown in thru that opening but otherwise, even without a gasket the halves mate together well so doubtful much would be able to get thru. If anything were being blown from the fuel pump or brakes toward the back in enough quantity to get between the block and bellhousing to drip down and inside I would expect there would be a substantial enough oil film or streaking on the block to be noticeable.

There is a service bulletin on rear main seals and making sure the oil pan flange at the rear edge is flat as well as the use of copper washers instead of lock washers to prevent oil from leaking thru the rear pan screw holes.packardinfo.com/xoops/html/downloads/SC/SL-VOL13NO21.pdf

Several bulletins cover the wooden pieces on the rear main which were also a source of leaks that could get into the bellhousing. Some were undersized and others damaged during installation which apparently caused enough issues Packard replaced them with cork pieces. Since you had your engine rebuilt and as dark as the oil appears I wonder if something with the rear main or the oil pan is amiss.